(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
Doha: Doha Film Institute is celebrating the Qatar-MENASA (Middle East, North Africa and South Asia) Year of Culture 2022 with a showcase of exceptional films from across the region as part of its MENASA Spotlight at the Doha Film Experience.
Showing at the Museum of Islamic Art Auditorium from December 4 to 8, 2022, the films present the greatest and latest independent voices in MENASA cinema.
Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, Chief Executive Office of the Doha Film Institute, said:“Qatar has a deep history of meaningful cultural exchange with the MENASA region, including continuing support for emerging voices in cinema from the region.“The Year of Culture, a unique initiative by Qatar Museums, plays a key role in promoting dynamic cultural exchange in Qatar and paying tribute to our international relationships. In this special year of hosting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, we are excited to add a dimension to the celebrations with the MENASA Spotlight as an enriching cinematic experience for all.”
The special showcase of MENASA films will commence with the screening of DFI-supported House in the Fields (Morocco, Qatar/2017) by Tala Hadid, that charts the isolated rural Amazigh community living in the Atlas Mountains. The screening is on Sunday, December 4 at 7:30pm.
The Wild Pear Tree (Turkiye, France, Bulgaria, Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar/2018) by Nuri Bilge Ceylan follows Sinan — an aspiring writer who returns home after college hoping to make enough money to publish his first novel. The DFI supported film will be screened on Monday, December 5 at 7:30pm.
Oscar winner, The Salesman (Iran, France/2016) by Asghar Farhadi will be screened on Tuesday, December 6 at 7:30pm. The DFI supported film is about Emad and Rana, whose lives are turned upside-down when someone invades their home with horribly disturbing consequences.
DFI-supported Beauty and the Dogs (Tunisia, France, Sweden, Norway, Lebanon, Qatar, Switzerland/2017) by Kaouther Ben Hania screens on Wednesday, December 7 at 7:30pm. The film is about a young Tunisian woman's fight for her rights and her dignity.
The final feature narrative to be screened on Thursday, December 8 at 7:30pm is Elia Suleiman's It Must be Heaven (France, Qatar, Germany, Canada, Turkey, Palestine/2019) supported by DFI. Suleiman turns his signature observational style from Palestine to a broader world, full of comparable tension, absurdity and paranoia.
Maradona's Legs
A captivating programme of short films from Palestine screens on December 7 from 5pm with award-winning titles of Maradona's Legs (Germany, Palestine / 2019) by Firas Khoury; DFI supported titles The Present (Palestine, Qatar / 2019) by Farah Nabulsi and Under the Lemon Tree (Qatar, Palestine / 2020) by Noor Al-Asswad; Ismail (Jordan, Palestine, UK, Qatar / 2013) by Nora Alsharif and Refuge (Qatar / 2019) by Maha Essid.
A range of captivating short films will also be screened as part of the programme on December 8 from 5pm. These include Brotherhood (Canada, Tunisia, Qatar, Sweden/2018) by Meryam Joobeur; Lori - Melancholy of my Mother's Lullabies (Nepal, Hong Kong/2022) by Abinash Bikram Shah; As Time Passes (USA/2022) by Jamil McGinnis; Under Her Skin (Qatar, France, Algeria/2020) by Meriem Mesraoua; Tomorrow My Love (India/2021) by Gitanjali Rao; I am Afraid to Forget Your Face (Egypt, France, Qatar, Belgium/2020) by Sameh Alaa and How My Grandmother Became a Chair (Germany, Lebanon, Qatar/2020) by Nicolas Fattouh.
Taking place over four action-packed weeks, the Doha Film Experience will be held across several key venues in the city including M7's Sky Theatre, Qatar Foundation's Oxygen Park and the venues of the D'reesha Performing Arts Festival 2022, the Museum of Islamic Art, Heenat Salma Farm, Sikkat Wadi Msheireb and Vox Cinemas Doha Festival City.